Tuesday, May 14
MUSEO TAMAYO, PRIVATE COLLECTION DINNER
We arrived in Mexico City, and settled into Hotel St. Regis on Paseo de
la Reforma. After getting refreshed, we met our wonderful guide
Michael Krichman (Executive Director of InSite) and began our art tour
at the beautiful Tamayo Museum. The museum is directed by his wife,
Carmen Cuenca, who oversaw the renovation/expansion last year by
Teodoro Gonzales de Leon, one of the original architects when the
museum was built 30 years ago. Carmen was unable to join us, but
arranged for an afterhours private tour with the curators Willy Kautz,
Julieta Gonzalez, and Andrea de la Torre, who took us through
exhibitions by Juan Downey, Carlos Amorales, Eduardo Aboreo, and
Amalia Pica. The deceased visionary Chilean artist Juan Downey’s work
was wide ranging: drawings, innovative films paintings, and
installations. Carlos Amorales detoured from his most known work in
symbolic graphics to include sound from large hanging cymbals.
Amalia Pica’s sets of geometric color films were related to
mathematical theories banned from being taught in Argentina in the
1970’s. Aboreo’s installation was a working studio where he produced
replicas of pre-Colombian artifacts as a political statement against the
government using Mexican heritage for promotional purposes. The
curators gave us individual attention, and then we were treated to an
informal wine reception with lots of interesting conversation.
We then made our way to dinner at the home of Patricia Ortiz
Monasterio and Jaime Riestra, founders of Galeria OMR. Their home
was filled with contemporary art as well as early Mexican pottery.
Many of the artists they represent were on the walls. They were
gracious and fun, and we all talked and ate the night away. Wine,
Tequila, and delicious food aplenty. Joining us were Osvaldo Sanchez,
Aimee Servije and Eloisa Haudenchild from InSite.
Wednesday, May 15
SAPS, THOMAS GLASSFORD, KURIMANUUTO, ROSETTA, OMR,
ARTISTS STUDIOS, PUJOL
We departed the hotel for Sala de Art Publico Siqueiros (SAPS). On the
way we passed Colonia Polanco, a neighborhood with good shops and
restaurants, and the Hotel Habita, designed by Enrique Norton, and
Carlos Slim’s museum and a compound with shops for his employees.
Just past the oldest part of Polanco, SAPS is on Tres Picos. The
building in Polanco is a museum and research center, but also hosts
countless lectures and panel discussions on contemporary art. The
focus is to give continuity to the technical and thematic concerns of
the muralist in relation to art. As we arrived, we saw a banner “La
Libertad es an Projecto Colectivo”-Liberty is a Collective Project.
We were greeted by Director Taiyana Pimentel, who explained that
Siqueiros made about 65-75 murals in his lifetime. He used highly
glossed finishes, similar to car finishes. On the first floor were
Siqueiros’ corrections to his most famous mural, which is on the side
of a building. Other artists’ works are mounted alongside the
permanent Siqueiros exhibit, to make a contemporary statement. The
current exhibit, Miguel Angel Rios’ “Through the Frontier”, is a dialogue
between Siqueiros and Rios. Years ago Siqueiros was arrested for
being a social dissident. When he got out of prison he went to
Cuernavaca and more deeply developed his abstract approach to
political art. He experimented with materials with multiple angles
converging, to create an image that expresses political thought. Rios
made drawings based on situations related to violence and drug
trafficking-problems which have escalated in the last two years. In
2012 he made videos filmed in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru of
dumpsters in peripheral areas of cities that are booming. On the
second floor, we saw Rios’ cut-outs, craft-like art made with an exacto
knife depicting guns.
Our next stop was the studio of Thomas Glassford. Born in Texas, he
now lives in Mexico City. His studio is on a narrow street, and opens
into a courtyard. 28 years ago Glassford and nine other artists formed
a community to share studio space. By living in Mexico, Glassford was
able to make art all the time, live cheaply and have a large studio
space. Materials and cultural influences guide his work. He makes
vessels out of gourds, and collects vessels made of bull scrotums and
coconut shells. He uses aluminum siding as a mechanical
representation of musical scores. He has been working on this process
since 2000. Another project Glassford is the LED lighting of a local
building. Called quasi-crystal, it is based on an ancient story of skin
being tied around flesh.
Our next visit was Kurimanzutto, a contemporary art gallery in the San
Miguel de Chapultepec neighborhood. We viewed an exhibition of
recent works by Gabriel Orozco. Beautiful river stones carved into
sculpture, they have a strong connection to other works in his career.
They were at once classic and contemporary.
Our lunch was at Rosetta, in Colonia Roma. It is a restored mansion
with chef and owner Elena Reygadas and her architect husband Jaime
Serra in charge. It was arguably the best meal we had in Mexico Cityclean food with every flavor enhancing a perfect balance of beauty and
taste. Elena came up to visit with us, and we had a few nice guests to
talk with during our wonderful meal, including Thomas Glassford and
the wife of the heir to the Bimbo Baking conglomerate.
Next we went to OMR Gallery, owned by our hosts from the first night,
Jaime Riestra and Patricia Ortiz-Monisterio. ALAF, a group of artists,
painted the entrance. There were wild colors, and giant women and
men with wrestler masks and painted lips. Upstairs in the gallery were
photographs hanging on a wire by artist Inaki Bonillas. The artist used
3000 family photos inherited from his grandfather to represent the
idea of photography as a counter-memory. In the lower Gallery were
an ink on paper exhibit and a series with smoke creating images by
Troika.
Next we visited a house with 4 artists’ studios. We met with Loredo
Toledo, the daughter of Toledo, the famous Mexican artist and jewelry
designer; Eduardo Aboreo, who we saw at the Tamayo sculpting his
replicas; and Pablo Vargas Lugo who painted butterfly wings and made
flags using the butterfly patterns.
Most of the Fellows decided to dine at Pujol, one of Mexico City's finest
restaurants. The restaurant seats 48, and there are 27 cooks in the
kitchen. We all ordered the 12 course tasting menu which started with
two amuse-bouche additions which brought it up to 14
courses. Included were a fried canapé of pine nuts and ant eggs, frog
legs, and ceviche tacos. We asked for a description of the courses and
were given a lovely portfolio. When our waiter told us that the artist
who drew the menu cover was at the next table, we all converged for
autographs and the intro of the artist's wife Anna, who invited the
fellows to a jewelry exhibit she is curating in Mexico City. And as we
waited for our taxi back to the St Regis, we met the chef/owner who
kindly posed for pictures and also autographed our menus. It was a
truly memorable feast.
Thursday, May 16
JUMEX, MUAC, SAN ANGEL INN, RICARDO RENDON, AND ANAHUACALI
We began at the Jumex Collection, which is housed in a building
located within the sprawling boundaries of the Jumex juice factory
property in Ecatepec, an industrial zone outside of Mexico
City. Eugenio Lopez, the son of the founder of Jumex, began
collecting art over 10 years ago and established an art foundation. A
more formal Jumex museum, with 30,000 square feet of display space,
is soon to be completed in the Polanco district next to the museum
constructed by Carlos Slim. These structures are intended to form the
core cultural district inside Polanco. The current display space in
Ecatepec will be maintained as a space for more experimental works.
Victor Zamudian Taylor and his assistant led us through the exhibit
titled "The Hunter and the Factory", which consisted of 17 widely
varied pieces, ranging from a stuffed dog, to video presentations, to a
tower of wet clay.
We next drove to the campus of the University of Mexico and toured
both the Museo Universitaria Arte Contemporaneo (MUAC) and the site
of a sculpture garden inside an ecological preserve area on campus
near the contemporary art museum. Neither the undergraduate or
graduate studio art studies are based on the campus at which MUAC is
located. However, the university has established a program of
displaying art in four satellite programs to augment the shows at
MUAC. The Fellows were met at the museum by Associate Director
Patricia Sloan, who led us around the large museum and through
portions of five or six exhibits, including “ASCO”, an exhibit by a
collection of Chicano artists who were active in East Los Angeles in the
1970s and 80s trying to establish a California Chicano identity through
art related projects. We discussed the fact that there was little
communication or connectivity in that era between native Mexicans
and the Chicano immigrant population in Los Angeles. We were led
into what was described as the only sound installation space in the
world, where high pitched sounds bounced between multiple banks of
speakers. On our departure, we stopped to see an enormous outdoor
sculpture designed by an art collective in the 1970s. The sculpture
consisted of a series of large angular blocks spaced in a circle above a
continuous circular lava wall, with open landscape in the interior of the
circle, which was about 100 yards in diameter. It looked almost like a
sacrificial site for FOCA members who were tardy returning to the bus.
Just as the weather changed and a few rain drops began to fall, we
arrived at Anahuacali, the museum Diego Rivera designed to house his
extensive collection of nearly 60,000 pre-Hispanic artifacts. Director
Hilda Trujillo and two young curators greeted us in the courtyard of an
imposing pyramidal structure of black lava stone. The building,
influenced by the Teotihuacan culture, forms a teocalli, which means
"house of energy", and fittingly for our visit recreates the image of the
rain god Tlaloc. Its Mayan and Aztec influences can be seen in the
hexagonal (Mayan) and rectangular (Aztec) arcs that give access to
the different showrooms. The dark interior was dramatically lit in
niches that housed artifacts relating to underground worlds, (funerary
urns, masks and sculptures relating to the Day of the Dead
celebrations). On the first floor were roughhewn ceramic objects by
contemporary artist James Brown, interfaced with the antiquities. The
second floor galleries housed works more related to daily tribal
life. Then we ascended to a large open sky lit top floor, where we
were treated to refreshments as we viewed a large scale exhibition of
Diego Rivera drawings (cartoons) for the Rockefeller Center murals
which were destroyed in the 1950s. The rain god Tlaloc then took
over our experience and gave us a loud, impressive rendition of his
thunder and lightning performance. As big raindrops pelted the
skylights we descended to the main entrance where umbrellas were
provided to our bus ride back to the hotel.
Friday, May 17
CENTRO HISTORICO, AZUL, SILVER EXHIBITION, MERO TORO
Almost as soon as we entered the bus, our fabulous guest lecturer Jay
Oles began to enlighten us on the history of Mexico City. Having just
completed a new addition to the Art and Architecture series, a book on
Mexico City, Jay was a delightful wealth of information. We learned
Maximillian transformed Mexico City and laid it on a diagonal
reminiscent of the Champs Elysees. The population was one million in
the 1940s, but grew rapidly during the war while profiting from the
exporting of goods to the United States, until the city reached the 22
million it is today. The center of the city, the Centro Historico, actually
was built on top of the grid developed by the Aztecs. We debussed at
the Zocalo, heart of the city since 1325, but for some unknown reason
were not able to enter the Palacio National, home to Diego Rivera’s
murals of Mexico’s history. But that did not detour Jay. He knew the
city so well it simply meant there were other murals we could
see. And did we ever! The Catedral Metropolitana is on the north side
of the Zocalo. Built between 1573 and 1813 (yes, 240 years) it is as
expected a mash of architectural styles, earning the final architect the
moniker “wine from another vine.” It took him 10 years just to get a
license to work! Since mass was being held we did not see the altar,
but were informed about the black Christ on the gilded choir at the
entrance of the cathedral (done in the medieval tradition of using dark
wood). Legend has it that a very corrupt businessman kissed the feet
of the Black Christ and died within a very short period. Then the
Iglesia de la Ensenanza-one of the most perfectly preserved chapels in
the city. Built in the 1770s, it features nine ultra-baroque gilt retables,
each custom built for its space. It was truly enchanting.
Off again, passing the excavation of the Templo Mayor of
Tenotichitlan. Archeological excavations are extremely difficult since
the Aztecs built their city on a lake. As a result, the entire central
district is on shifting sands, and everywhere you will notice buildings
slightly askew, especially the heavy stone buildings of the colonial
period.
We then spent time in the birthplace of the mural movement, the
Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, begun as a Jesuit school in 1588. In
1922, after the end of the Mexican Revolution, the Education Minister
Jose Vasconcelos decided to hire a number of art students to illustrate
the benefits of the revolution. Vasconcelos got more than he
bargained for from Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro
Siqueiros, and numerous others. The school became a laboratory for
these artists, working side by side and sharing ideas. Orozco began
emulating the Italian Renaissance, but later became more Goyaesque
and developed a new social realism. Around the corner to the
Secretaria de Education Publica, where we were eloquently introduced
to some of Diego Rivera’s most important murals. The brainchild of
Vasconcelos, the idea was to glorify teachers as missionaries of the
new social order. The first courtyard, known as the Patio de Trabajo
(Work Patio), is a conceptual map of Mexico elevating the working
class. Using his own vernacular, Rivera references works of the Italian
Renaissance, such as Giotto’s Lamentation of Christ, in his depiction of
the wounded peasant. Peasants are always dark, barefoot, and in
their typical white costumes. The murals continue onto the Patio de
Fiesta, illustrating popular festivals-Day of the Dead, the Distribution
of Land, and (illustrating Rivera’s socialist beliefs) Labor Day. Rivera
deftly incorporates the architecture of the building into the mural with
peasants sitting on and peeking around the doorways. But more
importantly, these murals mark Rivera’s mastery of the use of
space. There is no recession of scale, but he is still able to give us a
sense of depth while filling all the space. Unfortunately, before Jay
could complete his engaging description, we had to leave, as there
were demonstrations from the Teacher’s union in honor of National
Teacher’s Day. So off to the market we went! Not for shopping but to
see a series of murals designed to rehabilitate a run-down area in the
1930s. The Mercado de Abelardo L. Rodriquez is a working market
with a plethora of sights, sounds, and smells-booths packed with a
myriad of tropical fruits as well as toilet paper. Yes, one finds stacks
of toilet paper adjacent to historical murals. Our first stop, however,
was a quiet corner to visit the murals of Paul Higgins, aka Pablo
O’Higgins, an American who studied art in San Diego, became an
assistant to Rivera and later taught muralism to others. Although
Rivera signed off on all the murals in the market, O’Higgins supervised
their execution. His murals are filled with symbols showing the rise of
the worker and the fall of capitalism. Ears of corn become gold for the
owners. Bankers hoard their coins while weapons are represented in
the abstract. Winding round the booths and stopping for a bottle of
water (it was a warm day and we had done a lot of walking already),
we headed up the stairs for a hidden treasure. Within the stairwell
were two murals by American sisters Grace and Marion
Greenwood. Grace represented miners and Marion represented food
production as well as striking workers. The symbolism and fresco is
dense and rich. One sees the roots of production as well as communist
slogans. “Workers of the world unite”. We learned that Marion had an
affair with Noguchi, and when he was out of work she invited him to
Mexico City to join the 10 muralists working at the market. Although
not part of the contract, Noguchi joined her and created a mural in bas
relief. Looking closely, one can find traces of O’Higgins work, factories
and chimneys found across the hall in Marion’s work, even the figures
of Night and Day. The mural is known as The History of Mexico even
though there are few references to the history of Mexico. Jay suggests
Noguchi intended the title to be understood as History as seen from
Mexico.
Although we were enthralled by the discovery and the insights of our
most learned instructor (he has written a paper describing the mural in
greater detail), it was time to begin the march to lunch. And march it
was! We wound our way through the crowded streets of Centro
Historico, often losing people at stop lights. It’s was a good thing our
bus guide Jose was bringing up the rear, or some of our troop would
still be lost in the streets. Jay would say it was only a couple of more
blocks, and then two more blocks and then another two more
blocks. But we finally reached the Azul Historico, a charming
courtyard restaurant (in blue, of course), and we had another amazing
meal with margaritas and wines from the Guadalupe Valley (selected
by our most knowledgeable sommelier Geoffrey).
After lunch we stopped at the BancoMex for a show of Mexican silver
curated by Ana Elena (a curator we met at Pujol who will be
collaborating with the Getty (as will Jay) on the LA/LA Show. We
walked through the House of Tiles where Marilyn spent her
honeymoon, and then the coup de grace, the Palacio de Bellas
Artes. Begun in 1904, the exterior is a mix of Greek and Roman
decoration along with Aztec motifs of serpent heads and warriors. The
interior was completed in 1932 in the Art Deco style of the
time. Murals adorn the 2nd and 3rd floors. Fortunately there were
benches for our weary feet while we listened to Jay eloquently explain
Rivera’s El Hombre, Contralor del Universo (Man, Controller of the
Universe). This occupies the center of the mural with scientific
exploration at the microscopic level and the galactic level. On either
side are human activities, including John D. Rockefeller himself playing
cards on one side, and the infamous depiction of Lenin on the other.
This is a reproduction of the mural painted over in Rockefeller Center
and another work Jay knew intimately. Unlike the widely-held belief
that Rockefeller objected to the figure of Lenin, Jay explained that it
was actually the leasing company and RCA, the major tenant, who
objected to the work. In fact, Rockefeller owned many other works
with communist references.
We continued with Orozco’s La Catharsis, but it is unclear how much of
a catharsis it really is. The brushwork is much looser than his earlier
work. Apparently Orozco was not only older but had been working
many years with only one arm. The figures hearken back to German
expressionism with brutal scenes of man’s inhumanity to man. The
figures are brutal with some most disturbing depictions of women.
After a few moments for shopping (with such packed intriguing
schedules we squeezed it in whenever we could), we were headed
back to the bus. Phil was ready to ride one of the available Eco-bikes,
but was spared when the bus arrived just moments before the
afternoon rain.
Our dinner was at Merotoro, in the trendy Colonia Condesa district.
The restaurant had a casual but upscale room that opened out to the
street. The wines were picked by our resident sommelier, Geoffrey,
who hasn't steered us wrong yet. The food was wonderful, and we
were lucky to have Jay join us. Since it was our last night with our
entire group we felt it was the perfect time to thank Garna for her hard
work. We all gave her a little token of our appreciation, and the
necklace was a hit. Garna... u did a great job!
Geoffrey’s scribe notes from the same day:
Our guide today is the extraordinary Jay Oles, a professor who is a
senior lecturer for one semester each year at Wellesley College, and
who lives the remainder of the year in Mexico City. We are headed to
the Centro Historico, where our first stop was to be the Colegio de San
Idelfonso, a Sixteenth Century institution founded by the Jesuits. Many
of Mexico’s most prominent citizens have attended this school,
including Diego Rivera, whose murals were the focus of our first
encounter with this great Mexican tradition. The murals of Rivera and
Orozco are juxtaposed within sight of each other, lining the walls and
stairways of the interior courtyard, which surrounds a beautifully
manicured interior garden. Jay pointed out the significant differences
in styles and historical approaches of two of Mexico’s best known
muralists. The murals are in fine condition, and have weathered well
over the better part of a century. On leaving San Idelfonso, we walked
several blocks to an old and not often frequented market named after
Abelardo Rodriguez. We worked our way through the crowded stalls of
colorful vegetables, fruits and other foodstuffs. Our goal was to view
the murals assembled by Pablo O’Higgins and his students and friends.
Hidden away on the upper floors, almost ignored by the city goers, we
found the walls and stairways completely covered by the works of the
Greenwood sisters, and most surprisingly, a three dimensional mural
by the young Isamu Noguchi. Jay pointed out the subtleties of the
Noguchi installation, which was completed last, and which referenced
specific elements of the two Greenwood murals. This old Mercado
building, containing these historically significant works, was still a
functioning marketplace. It had been, surprisingly, restored by Carlos
Slim, the wealthiest citizen of Mexico, and a man not particularly wellknown for his interest in the arts or philanthropy. We paused for a
delicious lunch at the Restaurant Azul Historico, located in the
beautiful courtyard of a restored Seventeenth Century mansion.
After lunch we walked once more towards the City’s historic Central
Plaza. En route, we detoured into another restored palace to view an
exhibition portraying the history of Mexican silver, from the time of
Cortez to the present contemporary scene. The exhibition had been
organized by Ana Elena Mallet, a curator whom we had met the
previous evening by accident while dining at the exceptional
restaurant, Pujol.
Our final destination of the day was the great edifice of the Bellas
Artes. This musical hall, located on the central plaza, is a beautiful
Beaux Arts building designed by an Italian Architect. The large entry
Halls, with very high ceilings, contain the murals of Rivera, Orozco,
and Siqueiros. It was a sequel to our morning visit to San Idelfonso
with a bonus view of two murals painted much later by Rufino Tamayo
in the 1960s. These murals are a national treasure, and open to the
public for all to see. It was a beautiful ending to an artful day.
Saturday, May 18
FLEAMARKET, ENRIQUEGUERREROGALLERY, LABORGALLERY,
CONTRAMAR, EL ECO, GLASSFORD STUDIO
After visiting the Flea Market (La Lagunilla) with Oswaldo and Josefa,
we arrived at the art gallery Enrique Guerrero. We saw an exhibit by
Brazilian artist Carolina Ponte, whose felt pen, ink, and gouache
paintings are based on French and Viennese portals and fret work.
They were very colorful, and many of us took pictures in front of the
beautiful works, many of which framed our Fellows nicely! And Beatriz
Zamora, a 76 year old artist, who works with rocks to create her black
relief artwork. Artist Adela Goldbard's series of road trip photographs
were on display upstairs, while Miler Lagos created works that look
totally different from their materials-balloons made of concrete, paper
made to look like logs.
Next we were off to Labor Gallery, which showed a large structure of
bronze heads (resembling local art students, all different) drilled
through with metal rods. The piece is called "naked parrot", referring
to the pigeons that were ‘caged’ in the two rooms that make up the art
space. They were fed colored bird food so they pooped colors.
Although there were no birds in the gallery when we visited they did
live there in a fractal zoo for a few weeks. Something about
communication, class structure, self-importance, superficiality and
relationships. Other artists at the gallery include Pedro Vargas Lugo,
whose lovely butterfly wing paintings and scientific renderings were
explained by gallery owner Pamela Echeverria.
We adjourned for lunch to Contramar-fish and margaritas- and then
left for El Eco, a space designed to be art and created by artists invited
to work there. Time specific art designs and cutting edge modern art
is displayed. Conceptual art coordinating with functional art is also on
view.
We rested at the St Regis until 6, when we left for a cocktail party at
the almost completed new home of Thomas Glassford. The house was
an architectural gem, and we took oodles of pictures as we drank wine
and tequila and ate cheese and crackers on a makeshift table. The
home is a work in progress, and we enjoyed our visit.
Sunday, May 19
MERIDA, SAN JOSE TECOH PRIVATE LUNCH/TOUR
We left Mexico City early, with two of our travelers not feeling up to
par... tourista attacks! But when we arrived in Merida, we rallied. With
our knowledgeable guide, Carlos Soza, the amazing Hacienda San Jose
Tecoh, to have lunch and view the Center for an Aesthetic Revolution,
a project by Jorge Pardo. It encompassed the entire private historical
hacienda and surrounding lands owned by our hosts, Claudia Madrazo
and Roberto Hernandez. As we entered the property, we noticed their
helicopter on its pad. Claudia and Roberto made us feel so welcomedminted towels and hibiscus drinks were passed, then we were joined
by their friends, Miguel Angel Corzo (formerly with the Getty
Foundation) and his wife Saba, who also reside in Los Angeles. After a
perfectly cooked meal, wine and tequila in a Jorge Pardo-designed
house, there were 17 casitas to explore! Their graciousness was
overwhelming. A couple took a dip in their pool, and the rest of us
enjoyed the scenery of the sprawling grounds.
We then went to Izamal, where we rode fanciful carriages with horses
to tour the colorful town. Once the capital of Yucatan, Izamal is an
extraordinary juncture of Mayan, colonial, and contemporary
culture. We were entranced by the golden yellow village, but tired and
ready to settle into our own Hacienda San Jose Chocul.
Monday, May 20
CENOTEXOCEMPICH, MERIDA, JORGE PARDO’S HOME,
ROSAS & XOCOLATE.
We departed the hotel for a visit to private cenote (a deep natural
sinkhole). The water was covered with a layer of scum, but a small
area was cleared for us by a man wielding a large skimmer. Karen
jumped in first, then Tobe, then Garna. The men followed, Phil, Carl
and Harvey, and the rest of us took pictures and enjoyed the view. As
they paddled and floated, a flautist named Joachim Mello from the
Symphonia Orchestra Yucatan played beautiful melodies for us on the
steps above the cenote. We climbed the steps back to the top and
after showers and changing we were served lunch outdoors under a
canopy of trees. Our placemats were large leaves from the telephone
tree. We watched a woman making handmade tortillas and Karen and
Garna gave it a try too. Lunch began with multi-colored bell peppers
stuffed with sikilpak, which is pepitas (sunflower seeds) blended and
cooked with tomato juice. Our main course was cochinita pobil,
Yucatan’s famous pork dish which is wrapped in banana leaves and
cooked under hot coals in the ground.
It is spiced with
achiote. Accompaniments were red onion pickled with sour orange,
guacamole, black beans, and rice with coriander. You could make
wraps with the homemade tortillas. Next came beautiful fruit bowls
and then coconut ice cream. We were refreshed with cold peppermint
scented towels before boarding the bus.
We were taken to the town of Merida and since it was so hot, we
toured the many beautiful historical buildings by bus. Of interest,
street names were accompanied by animal shapes (a cow, horse, bull,
etc.) so that those who were illiterate could still find their way.
We got off at the home of designer Jorge Pardo. At the entry room
there was a large painting after Valasquez’s Las Madrinas. The second
outdoor courtyard featured a long pool, a large table with orange
chairs, the famous Pardo light fixtures, and plants against a high
wall. Upstairs was the bedroom.
Our next destination was Roses & Xocolate, a hotel and restaurant
designed by architect, Salvador Reyes. It won the national award for
Best Architectural Restoration by Architectural Digest. Inside was
artwork by Marcela Diaz, whose home we were scheduled to visit the
next day. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant, which is considered
one of the three best restaurants in Mexico. Everyone ordered
different items which were all delicious. The owner, Carol Kolozs and
the architect, Salvador Reyes, came and sat with us. That was a
highlight! We all went to bed wondering what the next day would
bring.
Tuesday, May 21
UXMAL, KABAH
It's a long, long way to Tipparary, aka Uxmal, from Hacienda San Jose
Cholul. But then everything in the Yucatan is quite a distance from
everything else (although well worth the trip). With the sun blaring
and the thermometer soaring to 102 degrees, our group remained
undaunted as we climbed the stairs once trod by the ancient Mayan
ruling class. Uxmal, inhabited from 500 BC to 1100 BC, is at the
highest point in the Yucatan. The primary theme portrayed in intricate
and repetitive carvings on virtually all of the restored structures is that
of the Mask of the Rain God. As we sweltered, the reason for this
became quite understandable, but why this once powerful center of
Mayan civilization was abandoned remains a mystery. Most of the
writings detailing Mayan history were destroyed by the Spanish
conquistadores. Theories abound, including drought, deforestation,
loss of a viable ruling class or a military conquest. A few really hearty
souls continued on to the smaller site of Kabah, while the really smart
ones languished in the pool by the restaurant and sipped Margaritas.
Our 22 kilometer drive on the same road the Mayans traveled took us
decidedly less time, as we had whelks and they did not. The highlight
of Kabah was the plethora of hieroglyphics and a beautifully restored
two story palace. The eye of the Rain God was the prominent graphic
theme repeated on the various structures.
On return trip to Uxmal, we had a brief stop at a most unique present
day Mayan cemetery. A variety of small, whimsical, colorful structures
populated the site. Offerings of every sort adorned them. A great
photo op! Finally, cooling fans, a dip in the pool and Margaritas
accompanied by a lunch of local fare. A most welcome respite before
heading off to our next destination, which had been adeptly kept under
wraps by our venerable leader, Garna Muller.
Greeted by glasses of refreshing Hibiscus punch and minted cool wet
towels, our group began to fall under the spell of the mystical charms
of the Yucatan. We wandered the pristine lush grounds of Tikik de
Regal, where hemp was once processed. Hand painted whimsical
images appeared on the walls and ceilings of the facade of the
hacienda. Two over the top ultra-contemporary bedrooms and
bathrooms anchored each end of the stately neo-classic structure. But
the best was yet to come. We were invited to be seated on the patio
adjacent to pools of water and a seemingly endless fanciful garden.
The garden continued, graphically represented, on tiles that covered
the ceiling and wall of the linear patio. With tequila in hand, we sunk
into our lounges and became engulfed by the melodic strains of a
string quartet playing Mozart's Eina Kleine Nachtmusik and more. The
birds joined in the concert as a welcome cooling breeze lifted our
spirits to an even higher plane. The fusion with nature had once again
been achieved. One would think the day could not get better, but we
knew our leader had yet another artistic gem for us to savor.
It was 8:30 PM when we arrived at yet another spectacularly restored
Site, the Hacienda Ochil, to view an “intervention" by James Turrell.
We were greeted with refreshing drinks and cool wet towels. But it did
not end there. We were seated on a magically illuminated stone patio
and served delicious indigenous appetizers. Afterwards we were gently
and protectively escorted though candlelit stone patios and a series of
stairs, to a breathtaking natural stone amphitheater created from a
cenote. A semicircular moat and a spectacular multi rooted
Jennifer Steinkamp-like tree at center stage set the scene. Once
seated the magic began. High tech illuminations married with ancient
sounds emanating from unconventional albeit traditional Mayan
instruments accompanied by Mother Nature captured our primal souls.
As the wind swayed the tree's leaves, branches, and white moths
gracefully floated across vibrant red swaths of light. Although we had
been spectacularly fed in every way, it was off to a 10:00 PM last
night's dinner at a traditional Merida restaurant. The highlight, a FOCA
tradition, was the sharing of our personal impressions. There were
many, as this trip was rich in experiences that we will all cherish.
Carpe Diem!
Wednesday, May 22
LAST DAY!!
We packed up early and checked out of our hotel. We stopped by the
home of Marcela Diaz, an artist whose medium is henequen (sisal),
which became known as the “Green Gold” during the golden era of the
Yucatan. Her crocheted sculptures and massive braided ropes were so
magnificent! She showed us her modernist home, sensitively restored
by the same architect who designed the Roses & Xocolate hotel,
Salvador Reyes. Her collection was stellar, and she represents various
artists as well as producing her own wonderful art. We visited her
studio at the rear of her home built as, a two story building to allow
her to hoist up her dramatically large sculptures. She was very
hospitable, and the Fellows enjoyed her very much.
After this enriching morning, we moseyed around a mall and stopped
by another small gallery on our way back home.
Garna did a fabulous job designing a most wonderful trip, and we
thank her for her huge effort. Greg Karns humored us with daily
chuckles, and our guides were knowledgeable, kind and
accommodating. We will always remember this trip, and the wonderful
flavors of Mexico. The people are warm and friendly, and we are the
richer for the experiences we had.